Courtesy of Fantasy Land News
“Fantastic Four: First Steps” official movie posterDisney’s newest Marvel movie, “Fantastic Four: First Steps,” which was released in late July, was supposed to be Marvel’s cinematic comeback, coming after six years of terribly performing films such as “The Marvels” (2023) and “The Eternals” (2021). Fans expected a reintroduction to its “First Family” with a star-filled cast, expensive props and a Galactus wearing a pastel periwinkle trench coat.
Instead, “Fantastic Four: First Steps” became the cinematic equivalent of slipping on a banana peel while holding a wedding cake. On the second weekend of showing, theaters were practically empty with a substantial 66% drop in ticket sales.
Early reactions were promising, with the opening weekend grossing almost $118 million nationally. It was also placed among the MCU’s top films based on the audience’s score on Rotten Tomatoes of 88%.
In the comics, genius Reed Richards designs an experimental rocket to travel to Mars. When the government pulls its funding, his girlfriend Sue Storm, her brother Johnny Storm, and Richard’s best friend Ben Grimm launch the craft themselves.
They pilot the ship through a cosmic ray storm. Even though they return safely, the radiation alters them forever, giving them powers. Richards gains the ability to stretch, Sue Storm can turn invisible and extend that power to objects around her. Johnny Storm can engulf himself in flames and Grimm’s body transforms into a rock, granting him superhuman strength and durability.
When I was able to watch the film with a group of friends, all the issues with the script became painfully clear. Reed Richards remains emotionally unavailable the entire time, Sue Storm barely has any dialogue and Ben Grimm’s personal arc is reduced to grunting near furniture.
Fans waited over a decade for an in-depth story of the Fantastic Four and instead got a group therapy session hosted by a man who can stretch his limbs but not his emotional capacity.
However, even the harshest critics can agree that Vanessa Kirby, the actress portraying Sue Storm, is the one bright spot in the whole film. Even when the script she was given had the same emotional depth of a paper towel, Kirby manages to inject a sense of vulnerability to her lines.
Kirby shows her vulnerability when rallying for her family livelihood over the opinion of others in the film. Her mother-like character allows the audience to engage into the family theme of the film. At times, her rare on-screen presence adds moments of authenticity, a quality that is desperately needed in the movie.
Visually, “Fantastic Four: First Steps” is a mixed bag. The production design is full of retro hover cars, cosmic landscapes and big chunky analog tech, all of which I found quite charming. Yet, the special effects are inconsistent in quality.
For example, the film’s villain, Silver Surfer’s entire costume design shimmers with galactic grandeur. While Reed Richard’s stretching abilities look like a PlayStation 3 tech demo rendered in a hurry. Compared to other recent films like “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3” (2023) or “Multiverse of Madness” (2022), this film feels like a budget-conscious cousin.
Ultimately, “Fantastic Four: First Steps” was not the glorious rebirth of Marvel’s First Family fans were hoping for. Despite an amazing performance from Kirby and a couple visually impressive moments, the film struggles to decide whether it wanted to be a heartfelt family-fun film or a space-themed Pinterest board with no story.
Fans didn’t walk away angry; they walked away confused. By the final battle, if you could call it that, the loudest reaction in the theater came from a guy in the back saying, “That’s it?” He might have been speaking for all of us who paid to see this unfortunate attempt at a reboot.
Rating: 2/5 Falcons
